


The Dying Ash

by TwinTechThief



Category: Original Work
Genre: Blood and Torture, Blood and Violence, Character Death, Cryogenics, Different Injuries, Drug Use, Emotional Baggage, Exploration, F/F, F/M, Flashbacks, Future, Gen, Graphic Description, Human Experimentation, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Major Character Injury, Major Original Character(s), Major character death - Freeform, Minor Character Death, Minor Original Character(s), Non-Graphic Violence, Nuclear Warfare, Original Character(s), Original Locations, Original Universe, Other, Post-Apocalypse, Post-War, Survival, Swearing, Wasteland, Weapons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-24
Updated: 2016-01-23
Packaged: 2018-05-03 03:37:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5275052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwinTechThief/pseuds/TwinTechThief
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the world thought they had peace between nations, a war broke out over a year. Soon, a last-resort was called to use Nuclear weapons. Once the bombs dropped, the world went silent. Millions dead, and the world was torn apart. Slowly as time passed, people emerged from the ashes of the old world and created their own safe cities and populations. Many still remain under the ground, locked away in an eternal slumber. There are many secrets to be discovered after what happened to the world, but for right now, the only thing you need to do: Survive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! Welcome to my long-awaited Original Story: The Dying Ash! Just to let everyone know before hand, here are some things that I have to mention:  
> •There will be warnings before each chapter of what things you'll expect within the story. That being said, there are triggers to people who are/can be affected by these things. So please look before you read!  
> •There will be translations for certain parts of the story depending on what it is.  
> •This is all fictional except names of cities/provinces/countries and legit locations.  
> •Keep in mind, there is gonna be A LOT of blood and fighting, so if you don't like a lot of gore/pain/graphic imagery, please be careful when you read the story!
> 
> I just want to say thank you to all my close friends on and offline who helped me create, think, design and come up with amazing ideas for the story. I credit all of them for what they helped me do, so thank you all! Please enjoy the story and feel free to leave a comment below. Peace! -TTT

_We thought we had more time, time to fix those mistakes. We were wrong._

Long before the Last War, the world was at peace. We already went through two world wars, and after all the damage we never wanted it to happen again. After WWII, peace was found, hope was gained and life went back to normal. Or so we thought for a while. In late 2010, the United States created a program called 'Code Red'. Code Red was a specialized nuclear program to develop knowledge and technology to harness the power of nuclear weaponry. Canadian and European allies didn't support the idea and told the United States to terminate the program or be considered an international threat. The United States kept the program.

April of 2015 was when the European Allies along with Canada removed the US from it's list of allied countries and was put under as a international threat. The European Ambassadors of International Partnership (EAIP) gave Canada the role to watch over the US's programs and activity and if anything suspicious comes up, they were to intervene no matter what. The contract was signed and the program came into action. By the year 2021, there had be no interferences within the US and EAIP. Only if they knew what would be coming in the future, they would have found a way to fix their mistake.

On February 23, 2024, Canadian Intelligence had gotten a hold of government phone calls from the US's Military and Nuclear divisions, discussing funding for a new project. The Department of National Defense took action and sent a message onto EAIP about the new Intel. Slowly, more calls, emails, and private conversations started to leak out secret information that the United States were trying to hide. The Prime Minister of Canada at the time; Wilson Gammet was forcing the US to terminate the development of the program or face a military threat.

EAIP was quick to respond after hearing about the threats between Canada and the US, not only aiding Canada with soldiers and weaponry, but with Black Ops and espionage. Slowly, Canada and the United States turned their once long boarder crossing stretching from coast to coast into a battlefield. When it turned January 1st of 2027, the last offer was given to the US to stop. They refused and began to attack the front, causing Canada and EAIP to make a move. 

Everyday, many soldiers, combat medics and specialists, pilots and tactical soldiers were sent to fight, only to either die or come home as a different person. The States ran multiple programs while the war took place, including a human experimentation project to create Nuclear-Resistant humans. Canada, having multiple resources from EAIP, created public bomb shelters equipped with cryogenic chambers that could last for hundreds of years.

They conducted a secret military program called 'Project ACP' or Augmented Combat Personnel. It was to create five primary types of super soldiers for the war; it started 5 months before the war's end. It failed after so many of the subjects died, but not all of them died, hundreds escaped only to either make it out into the world of to be captured and terminated. Those who escaped were very lucky to have lived through the nightmares. Soon, the real nightmare would happen.

The summer of 2028, the final days of the war ended with bloodshed and torture. Many Canadian were taken prisoner and beaten to death by their neighbor. Canada, suffering major losses in life and in combat, did the only thing possible. Prepare for Nuclear detonation. EAIP warned if that were the final blow they would give, Canada would be removed as an ally as well. Canada continued with their program, sending out a PSA to citizens to enter their local shelters and to take cover. 

August 29th, 2028. Canada launches its nuclear bombs on the United States, triggering their own bombs and causing massive nuclear fallouts to occur around the world. Time stood still, silence was all that could be heard as flames and smoke filled the air. Once the mushroom cloud was visible, nuclear particles fell to the ground like snow. The world had come to a stand still. 

Move many years into the future, people had awoken from their sleep and went out to explore the world they once called home. Slowly scavenging what they could get a hold of and building civilization once again. 

The year is 2128; a century after the Last War had ended. Civilization is rebuilding and hope seems to be restored.

Only one thing remains unanswered.

_What does the world hold now?_


	2. Emerging from the Frost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story beings. After many years of being locked inside a frozen tomb, our protagonist Erin Vogler realises she may never be the same again. The whole world has changed since she last saw it. Does she think that she can handle all of this at once?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys for not being active with this. I have school and exams and a whole load of stuff to do nowadays. So please be patient with me! I'm slowly starting to piece everything together as my note got deleted by accident. So yea, please enjoy and feel free to comment below! Thanks! -TwinTechThief

The darkness shrouded the room in a grim and somber tone. Dust had collected on the cryo pods; its captive prisoners in a deep, frozen sleep. Lights flickered on occasion from the ceiling. The bunker hadn't been contained or subject to maintenance for over 100 years. The walls were wet with mildew and the smell lingered strongly within. Faint clicking noises echoed off the empty walls of the large room.

Slowly, one of the dirty glass doors of a pod began to open; air hissing as the pressure was released from the stuffy chamber. The mist escaped, flowing throughout as a female figure fell to the cold floor with a dull thud. After some time of laying in silence, eyes fluttered open and they began to breathe at a normal pace. Once they could get a hold of the floor, slowly they pushed and got up on their feet.

The young lady looked around for a minute; eyes adjusting to the darkness and slowly coming to her senses. She was alive. Good. Intact? Yes. But how long had she been asleep? Looking at her hands, she grabbed a locket from around her neck. Carefully she unhooked it and held it in her hand, unlocking the small, sliver heart. Inside was a small picture of a family of three; a mother, a father and a young girl. Now she remembered, her name was Erin Vogler.

Erin closed the locket and placed in back around her neck. Judging on how everything was at the moment, no one else was waking up.

_Geez, how long have I been inside of that thing? Has anyone made it outside yet?_  She thought.

She decided to look around to see if anyone had made it out. Row by row, pod after pod, lights were off and doors locked tight. The timers the pods were dead and some dimly flickered. Erin realized the pods with the dead timers could only mean...they were dead. Here eyes grew in shock, her stomach coiled up causing her to hold her waist.

_I don't want to be here, I need to get out of here. Fast._

Blindly trying to find the door in the dark, she stumbled over large power chords and cables. She placed her hands along the walls, the moisture sticking to her calloused hands. Dragging them as she walked she finally felt something. The cold touch of metal meant one thing, she found the door. Erin reached around for the handle; grabbing if and turning the rusted handle with some effort. A sigh escaped her lips as it creaked open and she was greeted with lights above her.

Walking down the empty halls made her feel uneasy. The dull sound coming from her boots was the only thing that could give her comfort. She was alone. There had to be people out there; whatever there is. Slowly she emerged into a foyer, tables and chairs abandoned and papers scattered everywhere. Stopping dead in her tracks she was faced towards a skeleton of a soldier.

The skeleton had been there for a fair amount of time; no flesh or muscle remained on the bones. Only the clothes and the weapon held tightly in its arms. Erin walked over, crouching over the corpse and taking the uniform and rifle from its grip. She searched the pockets to find some ammo, a flip lighter and a pack of cigarettes. Gladly she changed her denim jeans and wool sweater for the fatigues, leaving her white tank top underneath the jacket.

Doing a double check, scanning the room for anything useful to bring. Nothing.

"Seems like whoever left before me took the rest, but this will do for now." Erin uttered to herself, her voice quietly echoing off the metal walls around her.

She moved her bands behind her left ear and slung the rifle over her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, Erin walked towards the large, dented metal door. This was it. The first time she would see the world after being asleep for so many years. She couldn't imagine what it was like. But sure as hell she would want to find out what's out there. She grabbed the handle and turned it multiple times and put all her body's weight on the door. It opened up, air escaping and a bright light stung in her eyes.

After so many years, she was  _free_. She was going to be home.

She stumbled through the door, falling to the hard ground beneath her feet. She coughed as the dry dirt went into her lungs. It burned, but it felt good. Blinking multiple times and trying to readjust her sight to the bright sky outside she finally saw what the world had come to.

It was a baron wasteland. Dead grass and trees were everywhere. She could hear the water still flowing down the hill towards her hometown. Bellevue looked so different. A shell of its former glory. Buildings and houses destroyed but many still stood in the aftermath. She walked towards the guardrail and looked over the place that she once called home. Her home.

A heavy sigh escaped her; the air was heavy and unfamiliar to her. It felt strange, not anything like home.

_What happened to this place? Am I the only one out here?_

Erin could only hold onto her new rifle; raising it and slowly started to walk down a broken and dusty road down the hill. A large stretch that connected the bunker to the main road to the town. Slowly she descended towards the small, quiet town of Bellevue; the Rocky Mountains painted a beautiful backdrop to this deselect and baron wasteland.

_Welcome home,_  she though. _Welcome to your former home Erin_


	3. Picking up the Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Erin returned to her former home town of Bellevue, she realizes that times have changed drastically. Scavenging for anything that is worth her time, she left herself come to terms with the new world. She's also led to a place to part ways with someone close and to head on her way towards hope. Will she be able to let go or be stuck in her own safe reality?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this chapter is out so late! I've been so busy lately with other things and trying to find all the info I wrote down for The Dying Ash, it's chaos. Anyways, here's the newest chapter. It's more of a filler chapter than anything but I promise it'll get more interesting and have way more action. Also, translations are at the very end of the story. So please, enjoy! - TTT

The wind quietly echoed in her ears, the ghostly chill causing the hair to stand on her neck. The road seemed so long but Erin knew it would only take a few minutes to make it into the heart of Bellevue. The lampposts flickered occasionally, the side walks abandoned and covered in rubble and dust. The skeletons of what used to be houses stood on either side of the empty street, their shadows loomed over her; covering her in darkness. Seeing Bellevue up close felt so...odd. It was like it was a whole different place all together. The once bustling shop corners now sit empty, the apartment buildings and bus stops are abandoned. Cars, buses, trucks and bikes scattered all over the place hoping for their owners to return. She felt alone in the world; maybe she was the only one here after all. 

Her heavy footsteps and the shifting earth beneath her was the only noise that could be heard. She stopped everywhere to find any useful items or resources. Nothing. It had been picked clean like an animal's carcass. It had been all taken many decades ago from other scavengers that came through. Erin thought for a moment and remembered something. She came here for something and that something was at the one place was at her old house. A knot-like feeling could be felt in her stomach. Erin was scared of what to find there. At the one place she thought she could be safe.

\-----

A sign with the name ‘Old Oak St.’ brought memories from the past to life before her eyes. Children laughing and playing in the street, houses so lively and warm lined the small, rural street. Erin felt the memories slip through her hands like sand as she approached a large, white and once navy blue house. The windows broken and blown out from the blast, paint peeling off the wood giving a more aged appearance. The large oak door was untouched; the number 63 faded and scuffed from years of damage and storms. Approaching the doorstep and grabbing the handle, she entered the Vogler household. Goosebumps formed over her whole body as she looked around.

Furniture had been badly burned and torn; the walls were empty as the rest of the house had been for 100 years. Multiple dishes and books had been scattered over the floor; burned and destroyed. Kneeling down and picking up a broken photograph of a happy couple and their young daughter; smiles and laughter expressed on their faces. A tear fell down her cheek; her heart ached for that feeling of family, of  _love_. She removed from the frame and slipped it in her pocket. Erin walked up the stairs, walking towards two bedrooms. The left room leads to the master bedroom while the right door leads to her room. She first checked her parent's room; grabbing her father's watch and slipping on her wrist. After finding nothing else, she walked into her room.

The pale blue walls began to fade; picture frames remained exactly as they were. Her bed was ruined along with her carpet and curtains. The windowsill bench was in decent condition. Sunlight flooded her room with light, creating a warm and comforting feeling. Erin rummaged through her closet and drawers to find any decent clothes to bring with her.  While searching through her drawers, she found her switch-blade her uncle gave her. Erin put in her left breast pocket. She placed everything in her satchel, turning to her bed and sitting down on the worn mattress. 

She felt emptiness in her heart, almost as if the memories that she held onto were gone. Her grasp of this new reality she was thrown into was still setting in. She felt like she was stuck; torn between the past and the harsh reality of the present.

_I need to move on; it’s too dangerous to stay here. The town maybe empty but surely I'm not alone._

\-----

Dust and dirt kicked up behind her as she walked towards the road leading to the rolling mountains. One last stop before she left Bellevue. She had to make sure she said goodbye to the person she cared for a lot. Rust caked onto the weathered, black, iron fence as she forcefully shoved the gate open. Entering this place after so many years made the hair on her neck stand on edge. Dead silence and the occasional creaking of the fence made the cemetery eerie. Slowly, she approached a large, dead oak tree. Underneath the once protective branches was a tombstone, slightly mossy but still quite new. It’s been only a few years since that day, the day when Erin’s life changed forever.

Engraved on the stone: ‘ _Evangeline A. Vogler, 1977-2009_.’ Lying on top was a wilted, dead rose. Erin keeled in front of the tombstone, placing her hand and running her fingers over the name of the woman. A lump formed in her throat, eyes became clouded with sadness. It took a minute before she spoke, her voice cracking halfway through the sentence.

“H-hey mum. I'm sorry I wasn't able to visit you for a while. A lot of…things have happened.” She paused, her breathing became shaky. “Dad was doing well, his work kept him on his toes, just like old times.” A fake, unnerving laugh escaped her throat.

 “I made sure to keep the house in shape with him gone. I know you would've done the same in my case. I hope that we’ll all be okay. I know it was hard when you left us so soon, but I promise I’ll keep us all together…just like you said.” Her tone of voice dropped into a grim tone. Tears slowly rolled down her cheek as she went silent.

“…I'm sorry. I'm leaving all of what we had behind. I need to find Dad, anyone that could still be alive. I wanted to say goodbye, incase I never come back. I really hope you’ll watch out for me when I'm travelling. Je t’aime tellement maman, me souhaite bonne chance. Je t’aime.“

Putting her index and middle fingers together, she placed a kiss on her fingertips, pressing them against the tombstone. Erin wiped away her tears, standing back up and turning towards the gate. As she was leaving the cemetery, she turned to look back at her mother’s grave and expressed a small smile.

\-----

Erin walked along the abandoned highway, the load stretch of road led into the Rockies. Multiple signs that now were bent or damaged beyond recognition lead the way, one saying “ _Merci de rester à Bellevue, s’il vous plait revenir!_ ” Looking ahead, she took a deep breath, fresh air filling her lungs. It was a long road ahead of her, the first place she had to get through was Crow’s-nest Pass; a long stretch of highway within the mountain range. Placing her rifle in her calloused hands, she began to walk towards the overshadowed mountains. It was a whole new journey ahead. It was time to start anew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> "...Je t’aime tellement maman, me souhaite bonne chance. Je t’aime.“ = "...I love you mum, wish me luck. Love you."
> 
> "Merci de rester à Bellevue, s’il vous plait revenir!" = "Thanks for staying in Bellevue, please come again!"


End file.
